Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you've got to love yourself first and this can be tricky(狡猾的). Sure we all know that we're the apple of our parents' eyes, and that our Grandmas think we're great talents(天才) and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. But sometimes it's a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.

    Self-image is your own mind's picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.

    The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don't allow doubts to occur in it.

    It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can't move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you're silly because you aren't good at math, find a tutor. If you think you're weak because you can't run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you're dull because you don't wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, although you think it is so, it doesn't mean it's true.

    The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective(客观的), and to actively convince(客观的) yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting(提升) a positive self-image. When you can pat(拍) yourself on the back, you'll know you're well on your way. Good luck!

    We get it: You're tired. You're busy. And your shoes are away over there. Excuses are OK sometimes, but not every day—and especially not today. So put on your sneakers, get up off the couch, and let us kick your excuses to the curb (路边).

    “I…dislike…panting !”

    Being really out of breath may mean you're trying too much too soon, which will kill your confidence. But you don't have to be huffing and puffing to get a workout. Being active doesn't have to mean high-intensity. It's just about moving.

    “I hate exercise.”

    It may seem unbearable, but you just have to get started. Exercise releases endorphins (your brain's own feel-good chemicals), which can be habit-forming. What' s the best exercise? The one you'll do regularly. So you may hate running. Don't run! Ride your bike or just dance. Even cleaning your room is active. As long as you're moving and getting your blood pumping, it counts. So get creative.

    “I don't have time.”

    You may not have lots of time to spare when you're busy with schoolwork, but we bet you can find 10 minutes. Bonus: An activity break will send oxygen to your brain, making you super-alert and more creative too. Famous thinkers like Aristotle and Steve Jobs liked “walking meetings," and you can follow in their footsteps by moving around while you brainstorm about a tough task or memorize your English vocabulary.

    “I never see results!”

    Even if you train with the help of a professional, you won't see results right away. But you will feel them almost immediately. Don't focus on how your body looks—focus on how you feel. Keep a journal of when you exercise (or don't) and how you feel that day: Stressed? Focused? Tired? When you start noticing the amazing effects of exercise, you'll have no excuses.

    George Aldrich, whose official title is chemical specialist, works at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. He uses his nose to protect astronauts from unpleasant or harmful odors (气味). His near four-decade career has involved smelling objects from technical handbooks to astronauts' personal things.

    It's crucial that all items taken aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are odorless. Since astronauts are allowed to bring personal items aboard, all their objects must be smell-checked before leaving Earth. In a video provided by Science Channel, Aldrich relates one specific occasion when an astronaut wanted to build a ship in a bottle in space. Everything in the ship-building process had to be sniffed—right down to the glue.

    Aldrich and his team are responsible for making sure that objects are not only odorless but also harmless to astronauts. When the ISS heats up, a process called off-gassing occurs, which means chemicals flow out from certain substances (物质). Objects that would be safe on Earth could give off unpleasant odors or become dangerous when exposed to high temperatures in the ISS's unique environment.

    Of course, humans aren't the only testers or the first to be exposed to potentially dangerous objects. Before Aldrich sticks his nose into a substance, it has been examined by machines. Even though machines can detect unsafe substances, computers cannot tell exactly how things smell to humans. While something could be technically fine, it could be smelly to an astronaut.

Aldrich's nose is not alone there. He is the head of a hard-sniffing team of smell testers. Together they smell each object and rate it on a scale (等级) of 1 to 4. According to NASA, 1 cannot be detected, and 4 is considered not bearable. After the scientists conclude their tests, the scores are averaged. If an item is rated more than 2.4 on the scale, it fails the test and is not allowed on the flight.

    You eat food and drink water, right? Skipping Rocks Lab is changing how you and your future generations will have water. Have you ever thought you could eat water? Think again, this is actually happening somewhere in the world.

    The group at Skipping Rocks Lab has made a water bottle you can eat. The product is called Ooho. Unlike plastic bottles, Oohos are neither tall nor hard. They look more like bubbles, or small, round, clear balls. They can hold liquid inside. People who drink Oohos can be surprised: the outside bursts in the mouth.

    Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez is with Skipping Rocks Lab. He explains that the outside, or the membrane, of Ooho is made of seaweed, a plant that grows in the ocean. “It's a membrane made of seaweed that can contain water or any kind of liquid. It's made from an extract (汁) of the brown seaweed.”

    The Ooho membrane is tasteless, and you can eat it. The company says even if you throw away the membrane, it will break down in about four weeks. Gonzalez says the membrane is strong, and good for the environment.

Every year, billions of plastic water bottles are thrown away, polluting land and waterways around the world. The typical water bottle made of plastic can take hundreds of years to degrade.

    Lise Honsinger is also with Skipping Rocks Lab. “Most people just grab a bottle of water, hold it for five minutes, drink it, and throw it away. How can that then exist for 700 years? So, yeah, this is absolutely a solution to that. We are very purist: we don't want to see this packaged in plastic.”

    There are limits to the Ooho. It cannot be refilled. Each bottle is small. And Oohos do not store for more than a few days. The Skipping Rocks Lab is working on those issues. “We're still working on things like extending the shelf life, looking at different options in terms of thickness, if we want to make one that stands up more, or more flexible for marathons where people just want to eat it whole.”

    Right now, Skipping Rocks Lab can make only a few thousand Oohos a day. But it is developing new technology that could increase that number to hundreds of thousands.

    I'm Caty Weaver. Kevin Enochs wrote this story. Anne Ball adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

    What do you do when you need to look something up? Go to the library? Open an encyclopedia(百科全书)? Click onto the Internet? These days, most people go straight to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. But how reliable is it?

    There's no denying the popularity and usefulness of Wikipedia. It attracts as many as 78 million visitors every month, and the site is available in more than 270 different languages. It's one of the most comprehensive resources available, which includes almost all details, facts and information that may be concerned. It's got much more information than an ordinary encyclopedia. The site is updated on a daily basis by thousands of people around the world. Anyone with an Internet connection can log on and edit the contents or add a new page. And you don't need any formal training.

Of course, there are some controls. Wikipedia has a team of more than 1,500 administrators who check for false information. And main targets for harmful comments(such as politicians) are off-limits to public editing. But with more than 16 million articles to keep an eye on, it isn't easy. So, while Wikipedia benefits from being constantly updated with information from all over the world, it's also open to “vandals”（恣意破坏公共财物者）.

    Some of the damage is easy to notice. One person drew devil horns and a moustache on Microsoft chairman Bill Gate's photo, while another edited Greek philosopher Plato's biography to say he was a “Hawaiian weather man who is widely believed to have been a student of 'Barney the purple Dinosaur'.

    But other things are harder to spot. The most common form of vandalism (恣意破坏公共财物罪)involves adding tiny items of false information into the biography of a famous person. Unbelievably, some of this misinformation has appeared in newspapers, with The Daily Mail, The Guardian and The Independent all having fallen victim to the dirty tricks. For example, in an article about British comedian Sir Norman Wisdom, one newspaper claimed that he co-wrote Dame Vera Lynn's wartime hit There'll be bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover. He did no such thing. And in other article, it was reported that TV Theme tune composer Ronnie Hazlehurst had written the S Club 7's hit Reach again, not true. So, if you're going to use any information from Wikipedia, make sure you double-check it first.

15 years ago, Erin Merryn met a kitten who needed a home when she was a college student.

He jumped into her arms and refused to let her go.

"I was attached immediately and decided that I would take a risk and try hiding a kitten in my college dorm where animals are obviously not allowed," Erin recalled.

A week later she was caught and given 48 hours to remove the cat. After several phone calls, Erin was able to find an old lady to take Bailey, the kitten. But Bailey did not get along with his new housemate. As soon as Erin learned that he would be sent away, she immediately offered to take him back. "I plotted for a month to convince my parents to let me keep him." said Erin.

Six years ago, Erin had Abby, her beautiful daughter. She didn't know what Bailey would think about the new addition when she brought her home from the hospital.

"But it was love at first sight." Erin said. Bailey stayed by Abby's side, guarding and showering her with love and purrs. As Abby grew, he became her protective brother, watching over her every step of the way. Abby picked up a book one day and tried to read it with Bailey by her side. He became her perfect audience, and the sweet boy was completely attracted by Abby as she told him stories of wonder.

A video showing Abby reading to Bailey went viral on the Internet in 2018. Numerous people followed Erin on social media platforms.

Unfortunately, on December 8, 2018, just months after becoming famous, the 14-year old cat passed away from kidney failure.

A full month after Bailey's passing, Erin still got cards and gifts from caring individuals. It is this love that Erin hopes Bailey's fans hold on to. She wants her furry "first-born" to be remembered as a symbol of compassion that inspires others to treat the world with love.